


The Most Sublime Act

by KealynLynnette



Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: Car Accidents, Gen, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Serious Injuries, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-28 22:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3872311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KealynLynnette/pseuds/KealynLynnette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joan never wanted Sherlock to fall back into that deep, dark pit created by Irene, so she knew what she had to do. It was the best course of action; after all, the snow continued to settle and the search party was hours away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Sublime Act

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a tumblr prompt that reads:
> 
> Person B knowing they’re undoubtedly about to die within the next few seconds, likely from the gaping wound they’re bleeding out from. Instead of calling for help, they phone Person A and carry on a casual conversation as if nothing is wrong, making sure to mention how much they love them before their time runs out.

Joan knew she was screwed the moment the she saw the reindeer on the road in front of her- Actually, no. That was a lie. She was completely calm as she eased on the breaks, having seen the animal well in advance. The sun was low on the horizon, but an animal that huge was hard to miss.

No, Joan knew she was screwed the moment she realized her breaks weren’t working. Her panic spiked suddenly as she tried to simultaneously avoid the beast and maintain control of her vehicle. It didn’t work. The downhill slope of the mountain pass and the cold late winter temperatures were working against her as consulting detective made a last second decision. The consulting detective swerved right to avoid the reindeer and her car entered the tree-line with a hard crash. Joan felt a moment of chagrin at such a cliché accident before the jarring of the vehicle slammed her head against the steering wheel and knocked her out.

The feeling of wetness on her cheek slowly brought her back into consciousness. At first, Joan wondered is this was a new wake-up call from Sherlock, dragging something hot and wet over and over her face as she slept. Her senses were slow in coming back to her. She noticed it was cold before she managed to open her eyes, and Joan tried to ask Sherlock to stop messing with the thermostat. She shifted, and a burning pain in her shoulder yanked her into full wakefulness.

The first thing she saw was the reindeer. It was tall, taller than her car, but its head was bent low enough for it to sniffle and lick her cheek through the window. The broken window. As her eyes roved away from the creature and over her dashboard, she noticed it wasn’t the only thing broken. Through the filtered moonlight, she could see the vague outline of a tree trunk closer to her than she would have liked. The windshield was shattered and Joan wasn’t sure but she could swear the car didn’t have a passenger side anymore. There was a light dusting of snow inside the vehicle and herself, but the most thing that had her most worried was the tree branch piercing her right shoulder straight through the seat, and the possibility of her legs being crushed underneath her.  

She couldn’t see. Joan the medical doctor know that she had to take stock of her injuries before she could do anything else, but without a light source it was impossible. She steadied her breathing, and worked to ignore the pain that was slowly trying to regain control of her consciousness.

The idea struck her the same moment her phone vibrated underneath her. Slowly, carefully, Joan retrieved her mobile from the back pocket of her jeans and checked it. It was a calendar set to remind her of the baseball game she had tomorrow. She turned it off and used the flashlight app to take in the damage.

It wasn’t pretty. The branch was thick and long and low-bearing, and the velocity of the car had rammed it straight in and out of her shoulder. She would need a saw to even begin getting out of it. Her legs were fine, though it felt like her driving ankle was twisted. However, the metal body of the car had bent and twisted nearly all the way to her thighs, making it impossible to escape even if her shoulder was fine. As she had assumed, the right side of the car was completely gone, allowing even more frigid winter air into her space. The reindeer had settled on a nearby snowdrift, and looked content enough to wait.

Joan checked the time and did the math in her head. It was 8:42, she was the last one of her friends to leave the cabin, and that had been over three hours ago. Casey had said, two night ago, that this location was perfect for a girl’s-weekend, since no one was around for miles. Joan hadn’t considered it a good thing then, and she definitely didn’t consider it a good thing now. And to be honest, taking into account the amount of blood pooled around her and the temperature of the night, Joan was surprised she even woke up at all.

The worst part was that Sherlock wasn’t even expecting her for another night, as Joan had planned on spending the evening at the town motel before driving back to New York City. No one knew where she was. No one knew that she was going to die.

She wasn’t going to give up, no way in hell. But she was also taught to be a pragmatist, and knew her chances were slim. At least she still had phone service.

Her first call was to the local search and rescue. Joan told them all she could as the lethargy started creeping up on her again. The responder immediately started organizing a search party, but she informed Joan that the weather was working against them. Joan accepted it as fact, as she could vaguely see the snow continuously get higher and higher on what was left of the dashboard. Then, against the wishes of the emergency responder, Joan hung up.

She had another call to make.

The phone rang four times before he picked up, but his voiced warmed her heart against the frozen chill.

_“Hello Watson! I was just about to call you actually. We received this awfully interesting case while you were out, you will be quite sorry you missed it.”_

“I’m sure I will Sherlock, but now you’ve got me curious. What got you so interested?”

_“Well you see, there was this wealthy man who was murdered in his own home, and the Captain believes the wife to be the culprit.”_

“Okay, but that seems pretty straightforward to me.”

_“And by all account it should be, except the man is a polygamist and has five wives, all equally likely as of this moment.”_

“Oh- wow. Five? This is definitely up your alley then.”

_“I have been reviewing each of their histories and am preparing to interview them in the morning. But enough about that, what is it you need Watson?”_

What was it she needed? For one, she wanted to hear Sherlock’s voice one last time before she drifted into unconsciousness again. For another, she wanted to know who the bastard was that cut her breaks and maybe beat him a little with her baton. Or at least send him to jail. But mostly, she didn’t want Sherlock to worry. Images flashed unbidden in her mind of Sherlock after Irene/Moriarty. She knew he was still trying to cope with that, trying to be better. Joan couldn’t do that to him too, wouldn’t- refused to be the cause of all that grief. Even if she did want a little revenge, and who wouldn’t after a murder attempt, she didn’t want Sherlock to feel that way. She didn’t want him chasing a ghost around New York, around the country, around the world, because Joan knew he would do that, or worse.

Joan couldn’t handle being the cause of so much grief.

_“Watson… are you alright?”_

Already he sounded so protective, so worried. Joan fought back tears, cleared her throat, and decided.

“Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out a little there. I’m watching the stars, and they are so beautiful.”

_“Yes, they are.”_

They were both quiet for a while after that. Joan broke the silence when she felt her body becoming numb and slack, but spoke softly, afraid to break the delicate air between them.

“Sherlock, I don’t think I’m mentioned it in so many words, but thank you. These past couple of weeks you’ve been my rock and strength, and have even been a little sappy, but your honestly about me has always made me happy. You’ve taught me so much, have helped me so much Sherlock, I don’t have the words for it like you do.”

_“I… don’t really know what to say. Thank you. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought this on?”_

“Just- you know, contemplating life.”

Sherlock hummed appreciatively over the phone.

It was almost as if Joan could feel her pulse slowing, at it gave her a jolt of panic.

“You know I love you right?”

Laughing softly, she cut of Sherlock’s questioning and incredulous remarks.

“Not like that. Not like- I’m going to join you in your sex blanket-”

_“I have asked you to stop calling it that-”_

“But more like, you’re my best friend and I love you. I love how you find different ways to wake me up in the morning, and how you’re so excited to solve a case that you’ll pick out my clothes and cook breakfast. I love your passion and commitment, and your ability to do good in this world. You’ve come so far, Sherlock and I am so proud of you for that. I just- I want you to know that I’m happy with you. I never want you to doubt it. I have always looked out for what’s best for you, and I always will.”

“I love you,” she said again, into the quiet receiver.

_“I love you too Watson, in that perfectly platonic best friend sort of way.”_

Her eyes were drooping, so she knew her time was running out.

Joan faked a yawn and said, “It’s getting late and my battery’s dying. I have to go now Sherlock.”

_“Goodnight Watson. See you tomorrow?”_

She hesitated slightly, but then said, “Good bye,” and then shut the phone.

The battery blinked. 24%. Her eyes closed, and stayed that way.

The reindeer walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> original story at macapan.tumblr.com


End file.
